Schools, homeschool cohorts, libraries, and other education facilities in the Lake Michigan Coastal region now have access to unique hands-on on teaching resources to enrich student experiences, thanks to a new rent-a-trunk program at Humane Indiana Wildlife. Five new education trunks address topics including Mammals, Birds, Endangered/threatened Species, and Wildlife Rehabilitation. A Lake Michigan Coastal themed-trunk completes the array of subjects addressed in the available kits. Each trunk contains a wide range of teaching tools—from skulls, furs, tracks, in the “Mammals” trunk; to x-rays, patient records, and daily care logs in the “Wildlife Rehabilitation” trunk. Curriculum, activity guides, media, and student/teacher resources complete each trunk, which can be borrowed for up to two weeks at a time.
“Education is a critical part of protecting and conserving local wildlife,” says Center Director, Steve Lakatos. “These tools help students and educators better understand the challenges of wildlife rehabilitation and create an informed and engaged community.”
Funding for this project was provided in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Lake Michigan Coastal Program. The trunks can be requested by schools, teachers, and community organizations by contacting Humane Indiana Wildlife at (219) 299-8027. For more on Humane Indiana visit www.humaneindiana.org.